Director of EHS Assurance and Risk

Position summary:  

​​ ​The Director, EHS - Assurance and Risk is responsible for providing independent, enterprise-wide oversight of Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) performance across Stryker. This role ensures robust assurance systems, transparent reporting, and effective risk management practices. 

​ ​This leader drives the global EHS assurance strategy across manufacturing, commercial, and distribution operations, ensuring compliance, identifying systemic risks, and strengthening a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. 

​​Essential duties & responsibilities:

​​ ​Global EHS Assurance & Audit 

• ​Lead the design and execution of the global EHS assurance and audit program  

• Maintain and schedule self-assessments of internal standards: ​Oversee internal EHS audits and assurance audits across all regions and business units  

• ​Ensure audits assess both regulatory compliance and management system effectiveness  

• ​Support and drive additional sites to ISO 14001/45001 certification: Drive standardization of audit methodologies, tools, and auditor capability  

• ​Responsible for inspecting multiple sites as the lead auditor of internal EHS standards 

​ ​Compliance & Verification 

• ​Schedule Compliance audits: Establish processes for ongoing compliance verification with global, regional, and local EHS regulations 

• ​Strong understanding of global EHS regulations and maintain external regulations website with vendor 

• ​Identify compliance gaps and ensure timely escalation and resolution  

• ​Partner with regional/site EHS leaders to strengthen compliance frameworks  

​ ​Enterprise Risk Management (EHS) 

• ​Own and maintain the enterprise EHS risk register  

• ​Identify, assess, and prioritize key EHS risks across manufacturing, commercial, and distribution environments  

• ​Integrate EHS risks into broader enterprise risk management frameworks and communicate with global leadership as required 

• ​Drive proactive risk mitigation strategies and tracking  

​ ​Assurance Reporting 

• ​Partner with Global leadership team and COE to develop and deliver clear, compliance and assurance data to understand common themes at Stryker sites 

• ​Provide independent insights on trends, risks, and systemic issues  

• ​Elevate transparency and enable informed decision-making at the highest levels  

​​Corrective & Preventive Action Effectiveness 

• ​Establish processes to monitor and verify the effectiveness of corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs)  

• ​Ensure issues are not only resolved but prevented from recurring  

• ​Drive accountability across sites and leadership teams  

​ ​Governance, Training & Continuous Improvement 

• ​Promote a culture of transparency, and continuous improvement  

• ​Develop an auditors training course and train key leaders on proper self-audit processes and create a certified group of internal auditors that clearly understand Stryker EHS standards 

• ​Benchmark against industry best practices and emerging regulatory expectations 

​ ​Leadership 

• ​Build and scale a high-performing global assurance and risk team developing individuals in leadership and technical capability.  

• ​Influence without authority across regions and functions 

• ​Partner closely with EHS Operations/Commercial, EHS COE, and leadership/cross-functional teams across the organization to drive an effective assurance program 

​ ​​Education & special trainings: 

​​​​​Bachelor's degree in environmental science, Occupational Health & Safety, Engineering, or related field  

​​ ​​​​Qualifications & experience: 

​​​ ​Required 

• ​10+ years of work experience required 

​ ​Preferred 

• ​7+ years of progressive EHS leadership experience in a global, regulated industry (medical device, pharma, or similar) with multi-site and/or regional accountability 

• ​4+ years of people management experience highly preferred 

• ​Deep expertise in EHS auditing, compliance, and risk management systems  

• ​Strong executive presence with experience presenting to senior leadership and/or Board-level audiences  

• ​Experience integrating EHS into enterprise risk management (ERM) frameworks 

• ​Experience in a global, regulated industry (medical device, pharma, or similar) 

• ​Deep expertise across multiple EHS disciplines (industrial hygiene, process safety, environmental compliance, radiation safety) 

• ​Demonstrated experience leading global standards, systems, and technical programs 

• ​Proven ability to lead a certified and trained internal auditing team 

• ​Strong knowledge of global EHS regulations and management systems 

• ​Experience building or transforming global EHS management systems and capability models 

• ​Executive presence with ability to communicate complex technical topics clearly to senior leadership 

• ​Advanced degree (MBA, MS, or similar) 

• ​Professional certifications (e.g., CSP, CIH, ISO 14001/45001 Lead Auditor) is preferred 

• ​Practical experience with Lean/Six Sigma business process improvement methodology, belt certification is preferred. 

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